SnoopyStyle Hannah Stern (Kirsten Dunst) is a modern teen without much care for her Jewish ancestry. She's not that interested in the family Passover seder. Her aunt Eva (Louise Fletcher) knows that she could never understand. She goes back in time to 1941 Poland. She wakes up as Chaya who has been ill. She had traveled to attend her uncle's wedding. Her cousin Rivkah (Brittany Murphy) has been taking care of her. On the wedding day, the Nazis arrive to take everybody away. They struggle and work to build the prison camp. Ultimately Chaya takes Rivkah's place to the gas chamber. She wakes up to understand that Rivkah is her aunt Eva.The Holocaust has been done in many ways. I certainly understand the sincerity of this attempt. It's trying to connect young people with the past. I don't think this is done with well enough. Kirsten Dunst is a solid young actress but she doesn't have enough innocence. She should be shocked and bewildered. Also there is nothing new in the concentration camp. This is not a bad attempt. The idea has potential. Louise Fletcher is great but this doesn't quite make it.

Shalotka Believe or not, after my first visit to Auschwitz museum at the age of 14 I spent some time killing my awful thoughts with a fantasy about how great it would be to travel in time and save at least one person. I was a little more than surprised when I found out that someone actually dared to make a fantasy movie about a death camp with definitely teenage impact and somehow escaped ending up with it being stupid or offensive.This movie is a good introduction for the young ones into history and more serious movies on the subject. The best thing to do was to give contemporary teenagers (especially the more ignorant ones) a character to identify with - a cute, trendy, careless girl. As Hannah experiences the painful history through an episode from her aunt's life, we understand that it is not so easy to understand what happened unless you have really been there or have enough empathy. Indeed, this movie teaches a lot about empathy, respect and sacrifice. (And that the USA is the Promised Land and the best place to live for all the Jews and other innocent, brave, freedom-loving people. Really, they've seriously overdone that bit).The incomplete historical background is the major drawback. All that is seen is the life of a happy Jewish rural town and the transport to the death camp executed by an extremely stereotypical almost cartoon-like "bad Nazi". Nothing at all about the reasons and course of war, different nations and the whole variety of people's attitudes, behavior and decisions. I guess it would make the movie too long and complex for short attention span audiences. Wink.Simplified as it was, this movie had some charming elements. Cute Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy, the references to the Wizard of Oz and even a little humor, which wasn't dark but optimistic (for some reason the dialogue about cheeseburgers totally won my heart).The whole time-travel plot worked out fine: Hannah had learned her lesson about the painful past of her family and other Jews as well as about the good and strength that was in her, but still aunt Eva didn't believe that her spoiled rebellious niece and the heroic friend from the camp were the same person, which puts our feet back on the ground.The message is understandable and deep: we cannot change the past, but we can learn from it.

Corky2 While obviously this isn't a perfect education of the horrors of the Holocaust, it's not meant to be. This movie was based on a Young Adults' book, and it's transformed into a Young Adults' movie. It's not supposed to be a perfectly accurate portrayal, and it's not meant for historians or anything. But it is a touching film and excellent education for people to understand what it was like then. There are many powerful moments in the movie. A particularly impressive part, to me, was when Kirsten Dunst's character points to the number branded on her arm, and cries, "I wanted one of these!" referring to a tattoo. I think the highlight, however, was Brittany Murphy's incredible part. She was virtually unrecognizable, and her acting was superb. She literally threw herself into the part, and she shines. She truly is one of the greatest things about this movie.

chilipeber I think it is a really good movie, though the ending was a bit too short and too fast, I would have liked them to spin some more drama and emotions on the fact, that Hannah had the experience she had in regards to Aunt Eva. I was a little disappointed by that. Like the feeling of something not ended. Too bad:), but otherwise a really good movie for people who like the more thoughtfully, slow and emotional movies. I really like the way Kirsten plays the role of Hannah. I'm not really familiar with her acting besides Spiderman, so it was nice to see her in another kind of role. I will definitely consider to read the novel, which the movie is based on. I'm sure it must be worth reading.